Looking for a new project?
by Alexandra Carmichael
I have some bandwidth happily free at the moment, so I asked myself, “What else in addition to directing Quantified Self would I most love to do with my time and energy?”
Here’s the insight I came up with. I’ve been wondering why so few projects I hear about are focused on mood or mental health (or other assorted keywords like empathy, neurodiversity, recovery, emotion, compassion.)
Some people have told me that “mood is too hard,” or that you need special qualifications to go near mental health.
But I see a big gap that needs to be filled. I’ve been tracking my mood and mental health intensely for the past year, and written a bit about it:
Are You Neurotypical?
The Transformative Power of Sharing Mood
What I Learned From Tourette’s
The Value of a Diagnosis of Asperger’s
What I’m looking for now is to find someone brilliant, accepting, and emotionally literate who is doing a project in the mood/mental health space that I connect with, and offer to help them build it. I’m really good at growing seeds that others plant, so I’m keeping my eyes open for fledgling seed-planters that need some garden-nurturing help.
If this triggers an idea or connection for you, I’d love to hear it! Best wishes for all your new projects too, and please let me know if I can be helpful. Thanks for reading. 
i’m part of the Boston QS group. email me.
i have been reading and informally experimenting myself with nutritional mood biochemistry a good part of two decades. i like the writings of Dr. Mercola and Daniel G. Amen, to name a couple. I have also noticed in my aquaintances that those disadvantaged educationally and on limited income for food (or, those on ‘low-fat’ diets) seem more prone to undue anxiety, depression or distortions of perception, when they don’t get to eat costlier whole, real foods like nuts, seeds, beef etc. that give crucial proteins, fats, minerals for brain and hormonal balance as well as blood sugar equilibrium. i ‘ve been trying to figure out how to begin to offer this type of knowledge to those whose only social support is a busy doctor with a prescription pad, who wouldn’t believe i know what i’m talking about because i look too young naive ironically. this is very exciting topic to me!
Hey, Alexandra!
Not sure if this is the type of thing that you are talking about. But right now I am working on the “Urban Perinatal Care Innovation Project”. We are seeking to use Quantified Self strategies to improve the care of women with gestational diabetes and obesity (specifically with postpartum weight loss). We are looking to incorporate smart phones into the care of low income women to enhance their medical outcomes. One of the things we would like to do is incorporate assessment of mood to determine triggers for emotional eating. You can read about the project here….. http://www.slideshare.net/conyeije/cms-innovation-challenge-grant-final1
See slides 24 and 41-43.
I would love your input; particularly in terms of what tools you’ve found helpful for tracking mood.
Right now we are applying for funding from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid services. Regardless of how that funding opportunity turns out this is a project I intend to build throughout 2012.
Thanks for any assistance you can provide!
Chuck.